Stewartville Man Sentenced For Nearly Killing Roommate

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Stewartville man has been sentenced to a little over six years in prison for a nearly fatal knife attack on his roommate two years ago.

27-year-old Joseph Dahl was given credit for the 640 days he has already spent in jail following his arrest in December 2014. He earlier pleaded guilty to a first-degree assault charge in the case, but was originally charged with first and second degree attempted murder.

The victim in the case, a 62-year-old man, was stabbed several times and one of the wounds was to the right groin area where the femoral artery was cut. When deputies entered the Stewartville apartment where the attack took place, they found the victim soaked in blood and tied a tourniquet to his right leg to stop the bleeding until paramedics arrived.

The deputies were later told had the victim not received immediate medical attention, he would have died. Besides the serious leg injury, he had also been stabbed in the chest several times and both lungs collapsed.

Dahl later told investigators he had taken methamphetamine before the attack. Dahl also indicated he had been dating his roommate’s daughter and he and the victim got into an argument over the relationship.